QINGDAO, China, April 17, 2026 /PRNewswire/ —  A news report from iqingdao: As China and Egypt celebrate the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations, a new milestone has been reached in international cooperation among local media. On the afternoon of April 13 (local time), a delegation from the Publicity Department of the CPC Shandong Provincial Committee, along with a Shandong cultural exchange delegation, visited the headquarters of Al-Gomhuria, an authoritative Egyptian media outlet. During the visit, they witnessed the official signing of a Framework Agreement on Friendship Exchange between Qingdao Newspaper Industry Media Group and Al-Gomhuria. This agreement marks Qingdao Daily as the first Chinese media partner to sign a cooperation deal with the Egyptian newspaper.

Inside the newspaper’s headquarters, the delegations toured the editorial department and new media center to learn about the newspaper’s editorial processes and digital development. A Qingdao intangible cultural heritage exhibition area was also set up on site, featuring paper-cutting, calligraphy fans, and luodian (mother-of-pearl inlay crafts), which drew the Egyptian guests to experience the exhibits. Screenings of promotional videos such as “This is Shandong” and “China Qingdao,” along with an AI innovation short film, showcased the charm of Chinese cities and cutting-edge communication technologies.

According to the agreement, the two parties will establish a regular content-sharing arrangement and carry out all-around cooperation in news reporting, special feature planning, cultural promotion, resource sharing, and talent exchange. Through joint planning and new media collaboration, the partnership aims to enhance mutual understanding and friendship between the people of both countries.

Qingdao Daily Newspaper Group has built an integrated omnimedia communication system. Its iQingDao international communication platform reaches 2.3 million overseas users, with a total dissemination volume exceeding 600 million views. With this signing, Al-Gomhuria will serve as a strategic gateway to convey the voice of Qingdao, the stories of Shandong, and the image of China to Egypt and the broader Arab world. Both parties expressed that they will take media cooperation as a bridge to explore potential collaboration in areas such as the marine economy, culture, and tourism, contributing to the mutual enrichment of Chinese and Egyptian civilizations and to local-level open cooperation.

MONTREAL, April 17, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — On April 17, 2026, the global inherited bleeding disorders community will come together on World Hemophilia Day to advocate for all inherited bleeding disorders. This year’s theme of “Diagnosis: First step to care” highlights the critical importance of diagnosis—the essential first step in treatment and care. The WFH estimates that over three-quarters of the population of people with hemophilia worldwide are undiagnosed, and an even more significant gap also exists for other bleeding disorders. This means that hundreds of thousands of people around the world still lack access to basic care. We have the power—and the shared commitment—to change this. We can improve diagnostic outcomes by strengthening the skills of healthcare professionals and enhancing the effectiveness of laboratories. By increasing global diagnosis rates, we can move one step closer to our shared vision of Treatment for All.   

#WHD2026       wfh.org/whd

“Accurate diagnosis is the gateway to care for people living with bleeding disorders. Yet in many parts of the world, barriers continue to delay or prevent proper diagnosis—leading to unacceptably low diagnosis rates. The challenge is even greater for people with von Willebrand disease, rare bleeding disorders, and for women and girls with bleeding disorders. On April 17, I call on the global community to unite in advocating for stronger diagnostic capabilities everywhere—because without diagnosis, there is no treatment, and without treatment, there is no progress.”
—Cesar Garrido, WFH President

World Hemophilia Day 2026 calls on governments, healthcare providers, and advocates around the world to take meaningful action to close the gap in diagnosing people with bleeding disorders. In many regions—and across several types of bleeding disorders—diagnosis is often delayed, leaving individuals without the treatment and care they urgently need. These delays can significantly impact health, quality of life, and long-term outcomes. By working together, we can confront these inequities and ensure that every person with a bleeding disorder receives a timely diagnosis—the first critical step toward access to care.

World Hemophilia Day is an opportunity for individuals, organizations, and communities to come together and make a difference. Here are some ways to participate:

• Contact your national patient association to find out how you and other members can work together on World Hemophilia Day and raise awareness for increasing diagnosis of bleeding disorders.
• Participate in the World Hemophilia Day Light it Up Red! campaign. Last year, thousands of people worldwide showed their support by lighting up over 175 landmarks red in cities across the world
• Support our global advocacy efforts and be a part of what we are building today for future generations by donating here
• Share your story about how your quality of life—or the quality of life of someone you know—has changed thanks to receiving a diagnosis, treatment and care on wfh.org/whd
• Get social by posting about inherited bleeding disorders on Facebook, X, LinkedIn and Instagram using the #WorldHemophiliaDay, #WHD2026 and #LightItUpRed hashtags
• Download resources like posters and social media banners from wfh.org/whd to help build your World Hemophilia Day Campaign
• Take action locally and use WFH World Hemophilia Day materials to send a letter to your local policymakers, set up meetings with elected officials and health ministers and engage with the local media
• Follow the WFH on our social channels and share our World Hemophilia Day content with the world

To learn more about World Hemophilia Day, please visit wfh.org/world-hemophilia-day.

The WFH would like to thank our World Hemophilia Day sponsors for their continued support: Bayer, BioMarin Pharmaceutical Inc., CSL Behring, F. Hoffman-La Roche Ltd., Grifols, Kedrion, LFB S.A, Novo Nordisk, Octapharma, Pfizer, Regeneron, Sanofi, Sobi, and Takeda.

About hemophilia and other bleeding disorders

In people with bleeding disorders, the blood clotting process doesn’t work properly, with the result that they can bleed for longer than normal, and some people may experience spontaneous bleeding into joints, muscles, or other parts of their bodies which can lead to developmental and permanent mobility issues.

About the World Federation of Hemophilia

The World Federation of Hemophilia (WFH) is a non-profit organization dedicated to improving and sustaining care for people with inherited bleeding disorders around the world. At the WFH, national member organizations (NMOs) and health care professionals (HCPs) work together to provide care for people with inherited bleeding disorders around the world. We partner with governments and hemophilia treatment centres to enhance knowledge through training and provide tools they need to identify, support, and treat people living with bleeding disorders in their communities, while promoting global advocacy and collaboration to achieve our common goals. The WFH is founded upon the following core values and organizational principles: patients first, collaboration, integrity, respect, solidarity and excellence.

Our vision of Treatment for All is for a world where all people with inherited bleeding disorders have access to care, regardless of their type of bleeding disorder, gender, age, or where they live. Our mission is to improve and sustain care for people with inherited bleeding disorders around the world.

To find out more about the WFH, please visit www.wfh.org.

Media contact: Neha Suchak, Director, Marketing & Communications, nsuchak@wfh.org, +1 514-875-7944, #2857

• Half (50%) of business leaders from the financial services sector report that AI is deployed in their organisations but limited to selected departments or functions, while a combined 20% are either still in an exploratory stage (11%) or have no concrete plans for adoption (9%).

• Leaders cite data governance and privacy compliance (34%), cybersecurity and risk concerns (32%), data fragmentation and quality issues (31%), regulatory uncertainty around AI use (30%), and shortages in AI talent and technical expertise (30%) as the main barriers preventing AI from being deployed at scale in the sector.

• More than two in five leaders (42%) report difficulty attracting talent with emerging skills such as AI, ESG and cybersecurity, while 39% say they struggle to upskill existing employees at the required pace by regulatory and market changes.

• Finance leaders identify AI and machine learning expertise as the most critical capability to develop (46%), yet is also cited as the most lacking (34%). Other critical skills for the sector include cybersecurity (41%) and AI governance and ethical AI practices (38%).

SINGAPORE, April 17, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — While financial institutions are adopting Artificial Intelligence (AI), workforce capabilities are struggling to keep pace. Additionally, AI adoption has yet to be scaled consistently across organisations, with half (50%) of business leaders surveyed reporting that AI is deployed in their organisations but is limited to selected departments or functions, while a combined 20% are either still in an exploratory stage (11%) or have no concrete plans for adoption (9%).

While business leaders identify AI adoption (63%) as the driver with the greatest workforce impact in the coming two years, there are barriers to deploy AI at scale in the sector. They cite data governance and privacy compliance (34%), cybersecurity and risk concerns (32%), data fragmentation and quality issues (31%), regulatory uncertainty around AI use (30%), and shortages in AI talent and technical expertise (30%) as the main barriers to AI-scaling.

These are some of the key findings from NTUC LearningHub’s Industry Insights Report on Financial Services, which surveyed 200 business leaders to examine how technological change, sustainability priorities and workforce capabilities are shaping the future of the industry.

Against this backdrop, workforce readiness emerged as a key challenge. More than two in five leaders (42%) report difficulty attracting talent with emerging skills such as AI, Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) and cybersecurity, while 39% say they struggle to upskill existing employees quickly enough to keep pace with regulatory and market changes.

Beyond talent availability, the report also points to capability gaps within the financial services sector. Business leaders identify AI and machine learning expertise as the most critical future capability (46%), yet more than one-third of leaders (34%) say it is currently lacking in their workforce. Other skills business leaders believe are critical to develop in the sector include cybersecurity (41%) and AI governance and ethical AI practices (38%), fraud and financial crime prevention (34%), and risk management (31%).

In response to these challenges, organisations in the sector are stepping up their investment in training and development. More than one-third of business leaders (37%) report having sent employees for financial services-related training in the past two years, while 50% of leaders say they plan to do so within the next one to two years, signalling a strong intent to strengthen workforce capabilities. This emphasis in workforce development is reinforced by broad recognition of formal credentials, with more than four in five business leaders (25% very important, 59% quite important) acknowledging the importance of industry-recognised certifications in validating employee competencies.

At the same time, business leaders recognise that workforce development must extend beyond technical capabilities. They also identify a continuous learning mindset (41%), critical thinking (40%), and creativity in product and service innovation (39%) as the top human skills for professionals in the financial services to develop.

Commenting on the report’s findings, Mr Tay Ee Learn, Assistant Chief Executive and Chief Sector Skills Officer, NTUC LearningHub, says, “AI is already being used across many parts of the financial services sector, but widespread usage alone does not automatically translate into productivity or competitive advantage. The findings show that the real challenge lies in scaling AI responsibly across the organisation, where gaps in talent, governance and data capabilities continue to hold teams back. For organisations, especially small and medium‑sized firms, AI can be a powerful tool but only if employees are equipped with the right technical, governance and human capabilities. Structured upskilling that integrates AI and data expertise, cybersecurity, ethical AI practices and critical thinking is essential to help organisations move beyond pilots and unlock measurable business impact. This is where targeted training and industry‑recognised certifications play a vital role in building the capabilities needed to make AI work at scale.”

To download the Industry Insights Report on Financial Services, please visit https://www.ntuclearninghub.com/media/research-reports/2026/financial-services. To find out more about the courses, training, and grants, please contact NTUC LearningHub at www.ntuclearninghub.com.

About NTUC LearningHub

NTUC LearningHub is the leading Continuing Education and Training provider in Singapore which aims to transform the lifelong employability of working people. Since our corporatisation in 2004, we have been working with employers and individual learners to provide learning solutions in areas such as Infocomm Technology, Generative AI & Cloud, Healthcare, Retail & Food Services, Employability & Literacy, Business Excellence, Workplace Safety & Health, Security, Human Resources & Coaching and Foreign Workers Training.

To date, NTUC LearningHub has helped over 34,000 organisations and achieved more than 3.2 million training places across more than 1,000 courses with a pool of about 1,000 certified trainers. As a Total Learning Solutions provider to organisations, we also forge partnerships to offer a wide range of relevant end-to-end training. Besides in-person training, we also offer instructor-led virtual live classes (VLCs) and asynchronous online learning. The NTUC LearningHub Learning eXperience Platform (LXP)—a one-stop online learning platform—offers timely, bite-sized and quality content for learners to upskill anytime and anywhere. Beyond learning, LXP also serves as a platform for jobs and skills development for both workers and companies.

For more information, visit www.ntuclearninghub.com.

PANAMA CITY, April 17, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — BingX, a leading cryptocurrency exchange and Web3-AI company, has announced the launch of SpaceX Pre-IPO perpetual futures, alongside the introduction of the SpaceX Xpool Airdrop campaign. This dual initiative enables users to gain exposure to one of the most closely watched private companies while earning rewards through participation.

SPACEX (VNTL) perpetual futures officially launched on April 14, 2026, and quickly gained strong traction among users, with SPACEX (PreStocks) launching on April 16, 2026. Within the first 24 hours of its launch, SpaceX (VNTL) rose to the third-largest new TradFi asset on the platform by trading volume.

BingX is also introducing a dedicated airdrop event for SpaceX Pre-IPO RWA, offering structured rewards for new users and exclusive benefits for VIP members, with BingX Xpool staking to become available from April 21, 2026. This initiative reinforces BingX’s commitment to enhancing user experience while leveraging its proven track record of delivering stable returns through the Xpool ecosystem.

“SpaceX is exactly the type of high-interest asset that users have historically been unable to access,” said Pablo Monti, Spokesperson at BingX. “This launch not only expands our TradFi offerings, but also bridging the gap by unlocking access to high-growth private market opportunities.”

About BingX

Founded in 2018, BingX is a leading crypto exchange and Web3-AI company, serving over 40 million users worldwide. Ranked among the top five global crypto derivatives exchanges and a pioneer of crypto copy trading, BingX addresses the evolving needs of users across all experience levels.

Powered by a comprehensive suite of AI-driven products and services, including futures, spot, copy trading, and TradFi offerings, BingX empowers users with innovative tools designed to enhance performance, confidence, and efficiency.

BingX has been the principal partner of Chelsea FC since 2024, and became the first official crypto exchange partner of Scuderia Ferrari HP in 2026.

For more information, please visit: https://bingx.com/

• Singapore set to host BLAST’s third event as multi-year partnership with Singapore Tourism Board continues to grow

SINGAPORE, April 17, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — BLAST has today announced that the first BLAST Premier Open of 2027 will take place in Singapore from 15-28 March 2027, marking the next major milestone in its multi-year partnership with the Singapore Tourism Board (STB).

The event will be BLAST’s third tournament hosted in Singapore, following the hugely successful BLAST Premier World Final 2024 and BLAST Dota Slam Singapore 2025, and represents the latest step in a long-term commitment to bring world-class esports and entertainment experiences to the region.

Singapore has already proven to be a standout destination on the global BLAST calendar. The sold-out BLAST Premier World Final 2024 marked BLAST’s debut in Southeast Asia and welcomed passionate fans from across the region and beyond, while BLAST Dota Slam Singapore 2025 further demonstrated the city’s ability to host premium esports arena events at scale.

Running from 15-28 March 2027, BLAST Premier Open Singapore 2027 – BLAST’s first arena CS event of 2027 – will bring elite Counter-Strike competition back to Singapore, featuring some of the best teams in the world and another high-energy live event experience for local and international fans alike. The tournament will once again place Singapore at the centre of the global esports conversation and further strengthen its growing reputation as one of Asia’s leading hubs for gaming, entertainment and major live events.

James Woollard, VP of Destinations and Market Development at BLAST, said: “Singapore has already played host to two hugely important BLAST events and each one has shown why the city is such a natural home for top competitive entertainment and esports. From the incredible atmosphere at the BLAST Premier World Final in 2024 to the success of Dota Slam Singapore in 2025, the passion of the fans, the strength of the local ecosystem and the support of the Singapore Tourism Board have made this partnership incredibly special.

“We’re thrilled to announce BLAST Premier Open Season 1 2027 in Singapore as the next chapter in that journey. This will be our third event in the city and a major moment for Counter-Strike in Asia. Singapore continues to establish itself as one of the most exciting esports and entertainment destinations in the world, and we’re proud to keep building our long-term future here together with STB.”

Lilian Chee, Director of Sports at Singapore Tourism Board, said: “BLAST has been a valued partner in establishing Singapore as the premier destination for global esports and live entertainment. The success of the BLAST Premier World Final in 2024 demonstrated how world-class events can attract international visitors and captivate local audiences with electrifying competition. We look forward to hosting BLAST Premier Open 2027 as the third milestone in our growing partnership, and we are committed to building on this momentum in the years ahead while strengthening Singapore’s position as a leading destination for live entertainment events.”

BLAST’s multi-year partnership with STB is designed to deliver a long-term pipeline of major esports events to Singapore, driving international exposure, tourism impact and new opportunities for local businesses and the wider gaming ecosystem. With four more events to come, including next year’s Counter-Strike tournament, Singapore’s position on the international esports calendar is set to become even stronger.

Fans can sign up at BLAST.tv to be the first to receive ticketing updates, exclusive news and announcements on future BLAST events in Singapore.

About BLAST

BLAST is a global competitive entertainment company with a mission to bring mega entertainment to the world, taking esports, gaming and other new competitive formats to the next level.

BLAST is famous for pioneering the esports category through stunning high production quality, big creative ideas and game changing fan-first moments. Bringing together the biggest teams and brightest superstars to fight it out for glory and big-money-multi-million-dollar prize pools in the world’s biggest arenas from London and Singapore to Austin and Rio.

BLAST has offices in Copenhagen (HQ), London, Berlin, Mumbai, Malta and New York City. The company is currently working with world-leading game publishers Epic Games, Valve, Supercell and Ubisoft to produce, market and deliver esports for popular titles Rocket League, Fortnite, Rainbow Six, Brawl Stars, Dota 2 and Counter-Strike 2.